Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA/MPP
Schools Applying To: UC Berkeley MPP, Portland State MPA, U Washington MPA, U Michigan MPP, U Oregon MPA
Undergraduate institution: Low ranked CSU Undergraduate GPA: Overall 3.5. Last two years was around 3.7. Undergraduate Majors: English, Minor in ESL GRE: In the process of studying. I'm scoring low in quant and OK on verbal. Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): By the end of the application cycle, 3 years. Years of Work Experience: 3 years. I got lucky and worked immediately after my undergrad. Describe Relevant Work Experience: By the end of the application cycle I will have worked 3 years at a mental health nonprofit. My first year was as a program assistant, one year as a case manager, and my last year will be as a supervisor managing a pilot program for foster youth. We are contracted by DCFS so I'm always in collaboration with county workers. Languages: English. Some Spanish and Tagalog but not enough to brag about in a resume. Quant: I'm math deficient. All I have in my transcript is a Math for English Majors and an Intro Stats class. I got an A and C respectively. Strength of SOP: I haven't put much thought into it yet but I will probably talk about my varying experiences working in the field, organizing events for the community, and as a manager. I'll probably draw from my own experience of living in a single family household in a lower socioecomic neighborhood and draw parallels to the clients we serve. I understand that I should not make it a sob story but help admissions understand where I'm coming from and why I'm committed to this field. Strength of LOR (be honest, describe the process, etc): Two of the letters will come from managers I work with at my organization who supervised me. They both have MSW's and I have pretty good relationships with both of them. The third letter will come from a professor who I took two classes with. One thing I’m worried about is that she is from the Communications department (different major) and only has a master’s degree. Regardless I had a pretty good relationship with her as well. Other: By the end of the application period I will have two years volunteering at a suicide hotline, three years for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books as an area captain, and one year volunteering for the agency I work for now when I was in my undergrad.
Thoughts? I'm realistic. My work experience and GPA is decent but I'm worried about my GRE scores, my lack of math courses taken, and my lower ranked UG (that I love by the way). Ultimately, my goal is to either be a city manager for a large city on the west coast or an executive director at a socioeconomic nonprofit. I'm primarily interested in the implementation of policy in social welfare, poverty, education and mental health services. I'm limited to the west coast but my fiance is open to me applying to east coast schools. This is contingent on whether or not I receive substantial funding. I know WWS is probably out of my reach but I'm willing to cross my fingers. I'm contemplating opting out of this application period and just apply for the 2017 school year but I'm eager to leave Los Angeles (born and raised but I really need a change of scenery).
Also, I'm planning on taking a couple of economics classes and hopefully calculus but I'm not holding my breath.
Any feedback would be great as I'm agonizing over the flaws in my application. Brutually honest responses are welcomed!